This is an outstanding ballet of the timeless fairytale that has captured the hearts of young and old for centuries! Set to Sergei Prokofiev?s classic score, the Bolshoi Ballet performs in this color motion picture from 19... more &raquo61. Filmed with multiple cameras which created long, medium and close-up shots and special effects, this is not simply a "canned" performance, but one in which film, dance and music combine to produce an unforgettable experience. And with Raisa Struchkova in the title role, and a teenaged Yekaterina Maximova in a supporting part, this historic program is a must for ballet lovers everywhere!&laquo less

Movie Reviews

A Very Interesting Ballet Movie Classic!

J. M WILINSKY | teaneck, NJ United States | 07/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, this is from 1961 and is a very fine example of the Russian cinema from that period. It is in color with beautiful camera work, special effects of the period, and great acting. The camera gives us many closeups to show facial reactions. The image and sound quality are very good and typical of movies from that period. If you have been spoiled by the technical perfection of image and sound quality of today's digital products, you may not want this. I have met many people that tell me they refuse to watch any of the older movies for this reason! I, for one, am very glad to have these classics available to me(as I was growing up, I only heard about classic movies, but could never see them!). The performance, itself, is quite good with very interesting choreography. All the female parts are danced on pointe, including the ugly sisters, the mother and even the fairy godmother. We are also given the fairies of the seasons here with solos for each of them. The famous ballerina, Yekaterina Maximova, dances the role of the Spring fairy. The Prince is played by Gennadi Lediakh and he gives a very impressive performance with some extremely challenging solo variations(his opening solo includes an eleven-turn pirouette!). This was the period at the Bolshoi that was strongly influenced by Asaf Messerer(Maya Plisetskaya's uncle) who helped bring the Bolshoi into the modern age of classical technique. Cinderella is danced by Raisa Struchkova and she shows us a very convincing and spirited character. Keeping in mind that this is from a bygone era, I highly recommend it!"

Hisstoric

Flying Mouse | Atlanta, Georgia | 12/30/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I could only take 5 minutes of the tape hiss before stopping the disk. The picture quality is sub par but at least watchable. But the audio is totally unacceptable. Kultur says it's a historic recording. Actually it's a Hiss Hiss recording. If I watch it again it will be with the sound turned off. There are other recording of Cinderella. Get them."

Timeless

maiden pa. | bedford, pa United States | 06/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was really scared to buy this after reading the other reviews. I bought it anyway and I don't regret it. The film is old but it has Struckova in it and that makes it worth it alone. Ekaterina Maximova plays the part of Spring in it and she is very young at the time of this production. Having Maximova is a bonus. Yes it is an old film,but for historic purposes alone it makes it worth it. Don't forget to buy Anyuta: Ekaterina Maximova with Vasiliev. It's fantastic."